


Undici XI

by Seer_of_Soul



Series: Undici XI [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!, Original Work
Genre: I have not read the manga yet, I’m working on it, Multi, Next Generation, Post-Canon, Slow Burn, i guess, mainly OCs - Freeform, sorta not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-18
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-03 19:40:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16332203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seer_of_Soul/pseuds/Seer_of_Soul
Summary: Reborn is sent to train the next Volgola boss. He wasn’t expecting a twenty something who has no dying will, but Reborn has yet to meet a challenge he couldn’t overcome.





	1. Meet the Sky (sad, depressed Sky)

It was a cold September morning when he first accepted his assignment. The shadow he cast seemed much to large for him as it drifted over the yards and empty trash cans lining the street. He checked the note he’d been given, comparing it to the one of the house in front of him. Of course, it was the same, he didn’t make mistakes. He couldn’t afford to. He offered the slip of paper to the small green lizard sitting comfortably on the brim of his hat. It must be destroyed. The lizard gladly consumed the paper at its master’s silent command, destroying it within itself. A smile crossed the all too chubby cheeks of the child as he stepped up to the door. He rang the bell and waited as he heard running feet from inside. The door opened to show a pretty middle aged woman before him. “Hello,” he said, “My name is Reborn. I’m a home tutor.”

 

Parker pulled one earbud out as his mom stuck her head into his room. She smiled a little too widely, putting Parker’s nerves on edge. “You have a visitor!” She was practically beaming. Parker felt his stomach muscles contract, which was thankfully hidden by the looseness of his hoodie. 

“If it’s Joan from school, I don’t want to see him.”

“It’s not! Come greet our guest.” She disappeared behind the door frame, saying something as she made her way back to the living room. 

Parker gave a soft groan as he rolled to his feet. He figured it’d be more polite to take his earbuds all the way out, so he just unplugged them, tucking his phone into his pocket. As he drifted silently down the hallway, very ghostly, he ran through a list of who could have decided to visit him. 

If it wasn’t the over friendly club leader Joan, then it probably wasn’t Rick either. The two of them were practically joined at the hip. Maybe it was one of his classmates, but then how would they know where he lived? Maybe it was the pretty red head from the next street over. Parker hoped it wasn’t. She was too pushy, always trying to pressure him into dating her. Though Parker did wonder if most, or even all of that, was pressure from her parrents. Either way, he didn’t like how she talked to him. 

But, to Parker’s pleasant surprise, he found his mom sitting across from a five year old in an expensive looking suit and a fedora. A lizard charm sat on the brim of his hat and a yellow pacifier hung from around his neck. Instantly a tension ran up Parker’s back. He slowly approached, giving the child a wide berth. Something about him was... unsettling. 

The baby stood up, tipping his hat. “Ciaossu,” he greeted, giving Parker a smile that chilled his spine. 

“Hello....” Parker dipped his head slightly in greeting. He looked at his mother, confusion written across his face. 

“This is Reborn. He’s a home tutor. Your uncle sent him.” She smiled like it was the best news ever. 

Parker looked back at the child, staring into his eyes. “Oh. Why?”

The child, Reborn, tilted his head. “Why, to tutor you of course.” 

Parker blinked, looking back at his mom. “But... I don’t need a tutor do I? I’m doing just fine in all of my classes.”

“He’s a lifestyle tutor Park.”

The child hopped off of the chair, striding over to Parker with far too much confidence and grace for a child. Parker looked down at the child as he stared back up at him. “I am here to tutor you in manners...” He gave a sharp smack to the back of Parker’s knee, making him yelp. “...discipline...” He whacked Parker on the lower back, earning another yelp. “...and charisma.” He gave one last smack to the back of Parker’s head, sending the young man stumbling forward. 

Parker grabbed the back of a chair, whirling around as he held the back of his head. “What was that for?” He rubbed his head as his scalp throbbed. 

“Training,” the child answered, a malicious glint in his eye. 

Parker stared at the child for a long moment before his mom leapt to her feet. “Well, you must be hungry after coming such a long way Reborn. How about I start dishing up the soup so we can all fill our bellies?” 

Reborn nodded. “Grazie.” 

Parker watched his mom rush out of the room. He felt anxiety clawing its way up his spine. He didn’t want to be left alone with this kid. He glanced down at the kid, just to see the kid staring back at him. There was a calculating look in his eye. Parker figured that now was as good a time as any to make a good impression. “Was that Italian?” He mumbled, mentally cringing at how stupid that sounded even to him. The child nodded. “And you said Ciao earlier too right?” The child nodded again, seeming to prompt him onwards. “So, are you from Italy then? Or were you just there and talking in Italian reflexively?” 

The child tilted his head, a smile spreading across his chubby cheeks. “You’re very bright.” 

“Thank... you...?” Parker blinked. 

The child waddled across the few feet between them. And somehow jumped onto the arm of the chair. Parker looked down at him as the child examined his face critically. “Yes, I am Italian. I live and work there primarily.”

 _”Primarily? That’s a big word for a kid.”_ Parker thought. He ventured another guess. “You work as a home tutor there too?”

“Not usually.” The child gave a cold smile. “My normal work is as a hitman.”

Parker blinked, quickly glancing at the child’s appearance again. He did look the part, at least by how he was dressed. And he supposed that would explain the uneasy feeling that he’d had about the kid. He considered how to answer for a moment, but his mouth moved on its own. “Oh. That’s cool.” Parker felt his heart drop. He mentally berated himself for such a stupid response. _”So much for a good impression. ‘You’re very bright.’ Yep. ‘That’s cool.’ That sure screams ‘very bright’ to me!”_

The child, however, simply looked at Parker with his calculating look. Then he turned and sat down on the armrest. “I’m here because your uncle is a member of the mafia. And you’re a distant blood relative of the boss.” 

_”Not the weirdest thing I’ve heard all day....”_ Parker thought. “Okay...?” He winced slightly, stuffing his hands back into his hoodie pocket. _”Why did I say ‘okay’?”_

The kid, Reborn, looked up at him with an unreadable expression. “You’ve been chosen to be the eleventh boss of the Vongola family. So I’m here to train you.”

Parker actually felt his pupils constrict. “Please tell me you’re kidding,” his mouth shot off again. He bit the side of his tongue and forced himself to look Reborn in the eyes. There wasn’t any joke there. 

“I’m not.”

“Can I refuse?”

“I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Parker leaned against the back of the chair, applying pressure to the headache that was growing behind his eyebrows. “What on earth makes someone, my uncle, think I’m qualified to be... any kind of mafia?”

“The Decimo, the tenth, hand picked you. Then he handed responsibility over to me, the person who trained him.”

Parker slowly raised his head, staring at Reborn with no small amount of panic in his eyes. “Is the tenth... my uncle?”

Reborn smiled and shook his head. “No, your uncle just gave me directions.” This time there was a glint of humor in his eyes. 

Parker gave a soft sigh. “That’s... a lot to process.... Can I sleep on it...?”

Reborn nodded. “You do know there’s no decision here right? Either you follow the Decimo’s order or you die.”

Parker flinched violently. He folded his hands together inside his pocket, trying to stop them from shaking. He could feel a panic attack coming on. “I know... but still.... I-... It’s a lot....” He abruptly stood up. “I’ll be back....” It took every bit of Parker’s will power to not run back to his room. He collapsed on his bed and closed his eyes, burying his face in the eucalyptus smelling pillow. He took a long breath and sighed, maneuvering his earbuds into his ears. He flipped through a few songs before he settled on one, letting himself get lost in the music. For a few moments it was bliss.  
.  
.  
.  
Reborn had already settled into the couch, next to Parker’s mom by the time the young adult finally came out of his room. Reborn held a spoon nearly the width of his face, using it to ladle soup into his mouth. His charge was alarmingly skinny, but tall enough that Reborn didn’t worry about childhood nutrition. The young man was very pale, appearing even more so due to his dark black hair that hung in his face, about chin length on average. His eyes stood out though, a single splotch of ice blue against his unsaturated self. Reborn ladled more soup into his mouth and considered how he’d go about training this kid. 

Parker looked at his mom questioningly, she was awfully comfortable with the stranger they’d just met. She smiled when she saw him, gesturing to the spare bowl of soup on the coffee table. “We’re watching the news,” she said as a commercial for toothpaste flashed on the screen. 

Parker sat down on the floor, starting to eat his soup. He glanced up at Reborn when the child moved suddenly. He saw the lizard pin in his hands and he was petting it. “Is that a real lizard?” He asked suddenly, mentally slapping himself for such a stupid question. Reborn smiled maliciously. Suddenly the lizard changed shape, turning into a riding crop. Parker’s eyes widened. Then Reborn hit him with the stick. “Ow! Why?!”

Reborn got an unnerving glint in his eyes. “Training.”

Parker rubbed the back of his head, scooting out of reach of the toddler with the stick. 

Reborn gave a soft “heh” and turned to watch the TV as the news came back on. Parker felt his fingers twitch against the soup spoon, but said nothing.  
.  
.  
.  
Reborn followed Parker around for three days without incident. He trailed after him when he went to class and even sat quietly in his open backpack on occasion. No one said anything, then again the guy dressed as a dinosaur barely got any side glances. Community collage was fantastic. But on the fourth day of living with Reborn, Parker felt his anxiety set his teeth on edge. His hands shook when he tried to zip up his backpack. Reborn watched him silently for a long moment, head tilted slightly. 

“You know,” Reborn said suddenly, making Parker jump, “your Vongola senses are surprisingly acute for someone who’s never been in any danger before.”

Parker stared at the baby hitman for a long moment. “What?”

“Your Vongola senses. You sense danger very acutely.”

Parker glanced around. “That’s just... the anxiety....”

Reborn scoffed. “It’s your Vongola senses. Somehow they’ve gotten stuck in a super alert state. It’s like you’re in a war zone at every moment.” Reborn stroked his lizard’s head. “It’s very strange.”

Parker let out a puff of breath, shrugging on his backpack. “Thanks.”

“It is a compliment in a way. A boss is better when he is unique.” Reborn sipped tea out of a glass that had suddenly appeared. Parker blinked in surprise, but decided not to ask. “It’s time to leave for your first class.” 

Parker nodded slightly. “Yeah.”

“You have a test today right?”

Parker shook his head, walking out of the room with Reborn perched on his backpack. “The professor rescheduled it to next class because we’re a little behind schedule.”

“Shame.” Reborn murmured. Parker chose to ignore that.  
.  
.  
.  
Parker didn’t live far from campus. It was about a fifteen minute walk and they always left half an hour before class started, just to be safe. Parker was so anxious about being late to class that he was sometimes awake before Reborn was. Reborn wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Of course he was impressed, but every time Parker woke up early he’d have bags under his eyes and would barely eat enough breakfast. Reborn wasn’t used to this. 

He was used to his charges being over fed lazy brats, but Parker had adapted to the news of being the head of a mafia family with surprisingly little fuss and seemed to eat only what he needed to satisfy his mother. Reborn knew each person was different, but this kid was downright strange, especially for a future mafia boss. So, he resigned himself to mainly observation for some time, until he could figure him out. 

 

Parker stopped suddenly, looking around. He felt like someone was watching him. Reborn laid his head on his shoulder, whispering softly. “Keep going. Never let your enemy know they’ve been sensed. Try to pinpoint where they are.”

Parker felt his mouth get dry. He gave a short nod and started walking again, keeping his eyes trained on the path in front of him. His hands started shaking so he stuffed them in his pocket. Reborn tapped his cheek. “Relax your shoulders.” Parker tried to do that, but it didn’t work to well. He clenched his fists and forced his shoulders down. He tried to figure out where his unsettling feeling was coming from. He bit his tongue, trying to focus. Reborn hummed a soft tune. Parker flinched suddenly as he felt a sharper look leering at him. He felt an itch on his right shoulder blade, a tingling that spread out over his back and shoulder. He opened his mouth to say something to Reborn but the baby put his hand over Parker’s mouth. Parker didn’t see what happened but there was a sharp crack and a thud and a muffled curse. 

“You can look now,” Reborn said after a moment. Parker looked over his shoulder to see someone on the ground, laying spread eagle on their back. Parker took two short steps towards them, looking them over. 

He was about Parker’s age, maybe a little older, with dark brown hair that looked like it was woven with gold when the light hit it cut short in the back and longer in the front. His eyes were rolled back in his head and his mouth was hanging open. He wore nondescript clothes, bland jeans and a dark green turtle neck. 

Reborn hummed. “He’s early....” Parker glanced at him, seeing a small green and black gun him his hand. Parker forcibly snapped his eyes back towards the person on the ground. 

“I-is he a-alive...?” He asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. 

Reborn let out another soft “heh” as his gun transformed back into his lizard. Parker blinked, his eyes widening. Reborn set his lizard back on his hat and jumped down, landing gracefully on the pavement. “He’s not dead. I used a special Vongola bullet, Sleeping Beauty.” He waddled over to stand next to the unconscious man’s head. “He’ll wake up in a few minutes.”

Parker nodded, still wary. He edged around the man’s legs, standing behind Reborn. “You said ‘He’s early.’ You know him then? Who is he?”

Reborn cocked his hat to the side, scratching his lizard’s head. “He’s a hitman. Asher Rossi, A.K.A. Edge Line.”

“Oh... why is another hitman here?”

“That’s simple.” Reborn snickered, a malicious glint in his eye. “He’s my apprentice.”

Just as Reborn said that, Asher’s eyes snapped open. Rusty brown eyes connected with Parker’s icy blue ones. Asher tensed up and wiggled. “Damn it! Why can’t I move?! Fight me like a man coward!” Parker jumped back, scurrying to hide behind a trash can. 

Reborn let out a dissatisfied huff. “You’re early Asher.”

Asher froze, his eyes straining to see Reborn without turning his head. “Master Reborn? W-w-what are you doing here?”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t know I was here.”

Asher grumbled, looking away. Parker saw his fingers twitch. “I was trying to scope out this ‘new student’ of yours.... The one you abandoned me for....”

Reborn tilted his head. “His name is Parker Everheart. He’s the eleventh Vongola boss.”

Asher grimaced. “You...” He manages to roll his head to glare at Parker. “You’re here to train him?!” He let out a snarl. “You shouldn’t have to be here, Master Reborn.” 

Reborn scratched his lizard’s head. “Normally, I’d say ‘try to kill him and become the boss instead,’ but this time is different.”

Asher’s whole arm twitched this time. “And why is that,” he said in a dark voice. Parker felt a cold shiver run up his spine. 

“Because he’s no good at fighting right now. And if I use the dying will bullet he’ll actually die.” Reborn glanced back at Parker. “He doesn’t have much of a will at all.”

Parker had the sneaking suspicion he should be offended. But instead he hazarded a question. “What’s a ‘dying will bullet’?” He folded his arms over the top of the trashcan. 

“A bullet,” Reborn answered. 

Parker’s head dropped to bang against his arms. “I assumed that. What is it, more specifically.”

“It’s a special Vongola made bullet that gives the person who’s shot with it five minutes of the will of the dying,” Asher said almost spitefully. “But if you don’t have any regrets or something you’ll just die.”

Reborn held up the green and black gun again. “Care to try it out?”

“Absolutely not.” Parker straightened up, checking his phone for the time. “We should go Reborn, or I should at least.”

Reborn waddled over to Parker as he knelt, climbing onto his backpack again. Parker started walking away, but checked over his shoulder. “The paralysis wears off right?”

Reborn nodded. “In about three more minutes.”

“Alright.” Parker waved at Asher. “See you then.” He turned and walked away, leaving the cursing Asher behind him.


	2. Meet the Storm (the easy to please, eager to please storm)

Parker finished the two classes he had for that day, deciding to get some food on campus before heading home. “Do you want something Reborn?” 

Reborn nodded, leaning over Parker’s shoulder. “Burger.” Parker hummed softly, as they headed towards the restaurant. It was in the basement of one of buildings near the front of the campus. 

As Parker walked he felt a small itching on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Asher peeking out from behind a tree. Asher let out a small yelp and hid behind the tree. Parker glanced at Reborn. “Suddenly he’s bad a hiding....”

“Asher isn’t very subtle when he’s being shy,” Reborn said, not paying attention. 

“He’s being shy? I didn’t peg him for the shy type.”

“He was trying to kill you then. Or was at least planning to.” Reborn sipped a cup of tea he suddenly he had. Parker blinked but didn’t mention it. 

“Well that’s comforting.” Parker glanced back at him again, seeing Asher duck behind a bush. “What’s he gonna do now then?”

Reborn hummed softly. “I’d expect he’s curious. Since you’re the eleventh, but useless at fighting.” 

“Well neither of those are my fault.” Reborn chuckled softly, but didn’t say anything else. Parker entered the building and waited around the corner. 

Asher burst through the door a moment later, looking around wildly. Parker tapped his shoulder. Asher whirled around, throwing a blind punch. Parker wrenched his body backwards, collapsing against the wall. Reborn managed to dodge getting squished against the wall by jumping into the air. He landed on Parker’s head a moment later. 

Parker held his hands up, patting Asher’s still outstretched fist. “Don’t deck me please.”

Asher blinked, staring at Parker for a moment before wrenching his hand away. “What do you think your doing?”

“Well if I tried to talk to you normally you probably would have run away.” Parker rubbed the spot on his head where it’d hit the brick wall. He turned to glare at the wall. “Those are sharp....” 

Reborn’s legs dangled in front of his eyes, even more than his hair already did. “You are rather skittish when you’re unsure Asher.”

Asher crossed his arms. “Well... what do you want?”

Parker pointed towards the restaurant, mostly devoid of students at this point in the day. “You want food? I’ll buy you a burger.”

Asher blinked. “What? Why?”

“Cause people are more agreeable when they’re not hungry.” Parker stepped past him. “Come on.” Asher sputtered wordlessly, but trailed after Parker. 

 

They stood silently while the burgers cooked, and just like he said, Parker bought one for all three of them. Reborn had a bit of lettuce, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, and some kind of sauce. Asher loaded his with nearly every condiment there was along with three kinds of sauces and four cheeses. Parker had a plan burger with a little bit of onion to give it a flavor. He watched with mild distress as Asher tore into his burger and Reborn ate his with a knife and fork. 

Asher finally took a breath after downing half his burger. He took a giant swig of his cup of water, downing half of that in half a second. He slammed it down and let out a very satisfied sigh. He tilted his head up and locked eyes with Parker, who flinched backwards. “I totally misjudged you!” Asher grinned so wide his teeth took up a third of his face. Stars danced in his eyes. “You’re actually a really kind person.”

Parker blinked a few times, then looked away. “I wouldn’t say that. I just didn’t want to eat with you staring at me like a kicked puppy-dog,” he mumbled. 

Asher tilted his head and Parker swore he heard a dogish “aru?” Asher shrugged and stuffed half of what was left of his burger into his mouth. 

Reborn let out a sigh as he set his knife and fork down. “You shouldn’t discredit yourself. A good boss knows he should take credit for his work.”

“I just bought him a burger...” Parker mumbled into his water cup, taking a sip. Reborn smacked a green ruler across his knuckles. “Ow!” Parker jumped, splashing water on his lap. “What was that for?”

“Thought training,” Reborn said, an evil glint in his eye. 

Asher leaned across the table and patted Parker’s hand. “You might as well give in. You can’t win against Reborn.” He held out a handful of napkins. Parker blinked, feeling the blood drain from his face.   
.  
.  
.  
Asher followed Parker home that day. Parker looked back at him with his hand on the door handle. Asher stood on the sidewalk, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He looked like he was pouting. Parker glanced at Reborn, who was sitting on his backpack. “Is he gonna attack me if I let him in?”

Reborn hummed, tilting his hat to cover his eyes. “Who knows....” 

Parker sighed. “I knew you were going to say something like that.... Hey!” Asher’s head snapped up, a light in his eyes. “You wanna come in? My mom’s at work for a few more hours. But there’s probably snacks in the fridge if you’re still hungry.”

Asher took a couple steps forward, then froze. “I-is that really alright...?” Parker nodded and opened the door, cocking his head to say ‘hurry up.’ Asher dashed up the walkway and stopped next to Parker, a big grin on his face. Parker led him inside, feeling Reborn slip off his backpack and waddle off somewhere. Asher kept his hands stuffed in his pockets and looked around with wide eyes. “I’ve never been in a house like this before....”

Parker shrugged his backpack off and chucked it into his room. “Oh? Are the houses in Italy really different?”

Asher stared at a picture of Parker and his parents at the beach. “Yeah. It was... big... and empty....”

Parker paused, glancing over at Asher. He had a forlorn look on his face. Parker didn’t know what to say, so he stuffed his hands in his pocket and fidgeted with his fingernails. He turned towards the kitchen and looked over his shoulder at Asher. “Do you want a drink or something? Or a snack?”

Asher blinked at him owlishly, then nodded slightly. Parker beckoned him towards the kitchen. He started rummaging through the fridge. “There’s Apple juice and milk... and water of course. Then we have some baby carrots and celery sticks mom keeps cutting for me. And... animal crackers.”

Asher sat down at the kitchen table, his knees pressed together and arms folded in his lap. “Uh... celery sticks are fine....”

Parker hummed and grabbed the bag. He set it in front of Asher and plopped down in the seat next to him. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Parker thought of something to say. “So, you’re Reborn’s student?” Parker pulled a napkin close to him, tilting his head to look straight down at it as he traced the patterns in it. 

Asher froze, celery stick hovering close to his mouth. “I... yeah. I was.”

“And he stoped teaching you because of me...?” Asher nodded silently, bowing his head. His hair covered his eyes. “Then, I’m sorry.”

Asher’s head snapped up. “What?”

“I’m sorry.” Parker said again, folding a napkin into a coodie catcher. 

“I mean, for what?” Asher leaned forward, trying to look Parker in the eyes. 

Parker tilted his head further down, hiding behind his black hair. “I’m sorry Reborn left you to come teach me about... this mafia weirdness. But, I don’t think it was his choice either.” Parker creased the napkin. “He said the tenth or whatever told him to come here. And the way he said it made it sound like he was ordered to. And I don’t think he can just ignore orders, no matter his feelings about it.” Parker felt his eyes start stinging. He refused to let himself cry. “I’m sure Reborn would rather stay with you than put up with me and my problems.” He put the finished coodie catcher on one hand, turning it towards Asher. He made it talk like a puppet. “But there’s not a lot we can do about the situation though. So don’t be mad at him for something he can’t control.” Parker lifted his head a little bit, giving Asher a cheesy grin. 

There was a long moment of silence, which set Parker’s nerves on edge. He looked away. _“Oh god. He hates it. It was such a bad joke. Why did I make it? It was supposed to relieve tension but it just looks stupid! He’s gonna actually hate me now. God! Why am I so-“_ Asher snorted. 

Parker looked back up at Asher, seeing him covering his mouth with both hands. His shoulders were shaking and tears were streaming from his eyes, running over his hands. Then he snorted again, louder this time, and broke down laughing. Parker watched in amazement as Asher laughed for three minutes straight. He laughed so hard he fell out of his chair and just continued laughing, curled up on the floor. Parker leaned over to see Asher’s face had turned completely red. Parker gave a lopsided grin as he offered Asher a hand to help him back up into his chair.   
.  
.  
.  
Reborn heard Ms. Everheart come home before the other two did. She had just one bag of groceries and her work bag. Reborn met her at the door, putting a finger to his mouth. He beckoned her to follow him. He led her to the kitchen where Parker and Asher were chatting about the strangest things they’d seen in person. Parker was winning with his banana suit flash mob. But Asher was telling him about the giant baboon blimp that had crashed on his family’s property. 

Ms. Everheart smiled softly, kneeling to whisper to Reborn. “Did you help him make a friend already?” Reborn nodded. She smiled and got a distant look of relief in her eyes. “Thank goodness. I was getting worried....” She stood up and marched boldly into the kitchen, making Parker jump.

“Mom?! You’re early...!” He was blushing slightly. 

_“Good.”_ Reborn thought, _“He does have more emotions hidden under that gloomy facade.”_ He strolled into the kitchen after Ms. Everheart. 

She laughed softly, ruffling Parker’s hair. “Who’s your friend Park? Is he in your class?”

“He’s... he’s Reborn’s student....” Parker ducked his head to free himself, but his mom followed him. She leaned over him, her arm laying on his head for support, as she extended a hand to Asher. 

“What’s your name young sir?” She asked, a goofy smile on her face. Reborn chuckled to himself, the family resemblance was clear when they both smiled. 

Asher introduced himself and shook her hand. Ms. Everheart snagged a baby carrot and sauntered off to stuff the grocery bag in the fridge and disappear, saying that they could order pizza if they wanted. 

Parker sighed, laying his head down on the table. “Sorry.... She’s really friendly.”

Asher leaned forward to look at Parker’s face. “Nothing to apologize for. She’s really nice.”

Parker smiled up at him, then spotted Reborn out of the corner of his eye. He sat up and turned around. “There you are Reborn. Where’d you disappear to?”

Reborn let out a ‘heh’ as his eyes sparkled maliciously. “It’s a secret.” In actuality, Reborn had been observing the two of them, seeing that they already got along very well. 

Parker blinked, then gave a half shrug. “Anyway. Hey Reborn.” He pulled one leg up to sit between him and the table. So, he was nervous about something then. Reborn tilted his head, smiling sweetly. “I had a thought,” Parker said softly. So, he was really nervous about something. 

Reborn walked closer, looking almost straight up at Parker and Asher. “What is it?”

Parker had both his hands stuffed in his hoodie pocket, fidgeting with something. He looked down at his foot, eyebrows furrowing. “You had to stop teaching Asher because you were told to come here right?”

Reborn nodded, figuring out what he was going to propose. “Yes that’s right.”

“Then, if he wants, he could stay and you could continue to teach him...?” Parker mumbled. Asher’s head snapped up, staring at Parker with a look of awe in his face. Poor Asher was so easy to please. Reborn saw Parker tense up, his lips pressed in a tight line as his jaw clenched. 

Reborn decided now was not the time to torment either of his students. “Alright.”

Asher’s head snapped towards Reborn in an instant, his eyes wide and watery. “You mean it Master Reborn?” Reborn nodded honestly. Asher’s head snapped back towards Parker and he launched himself forward, wrapping his arms around Parker’s torso and knocking them both off the chair. 

Parker let out a strangled wheeze as he looked at the person suddenly attached to his chest. He had one arm free, grabbing one of the rungs of the back of his chair, keeping them from completely falling to the floor. Asher lifted his head, tears and joy sparkling in his eyes. “You’re such a nice person. You’re sure to make a great boss.”

“Uh.... what?” Parker looked between Asher and Reborn, the blood pulling away from his face. 

“Looks like you’ve gotten your first subordinate... Eleventh.”

“No. Nonono.” He tried to move away, but only managed to lose his grip of the chain, sending the two of them toppling to the floor. “Ow....”

Asher pushed himself up on his arms, grinning towards Reborn. “Really? You think I could be?”

Reborn nodded. “In time, you’d be someone who can protect his family.” Asher beamed, grinning down at Parker. 

Parker looked horrified. “Uhh... I have a few concerns....” He turned his head to look at Reborn. 

Asher kept to his feet, clenching his fists. “I promise I’ll be someone who will protect you, Boss. I won’t make you regret this.”

Parker looked like he’d just gotten off a too rickety rollercoaster. “Wait... I... I don’t....”

Asher wasn’t paying attention to his stammering, instead insisting that he’d be the best subordinate he could want. But Reborn was paying close attention to Parker’s expressions and body language. _“So he’s worried about this.... But for what reason? Does he not want Asher as a subordinate? Or is he worried about him?”_ Reborn smiled to himself, turning on his heels to go find Ms. Everheart. He needed to learn a bit more about Parker before he risked using a special bullet on him. Tsuna did want the kid to be alive at the end of this after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like this! \^-^/  
> Let me know what you guys think and if you have any ideas about where the story is gonna go. I’d love to hear them. 
> 
> Comments give me will flames! >:D


	3. Meditation and Night Terrors

“Breath in... Breath out... Allow your mind to become clear.... If you have a thought, acknowledge it and let it pass.... Breath in... Breath out...” Parker followed the instructions of the voice in his earbuds. He felt himself becoming more relaxed. The tension in his shoulders and his mind released more and more with each breath. For these few minutes Parker could feel completely at peace. 

There was a soft whistling sound that came from outside his bubble of peace. Parker cracked an eye open just in time for something to smack him square in the face. 

Parker made an indignant squeaking noise and toppled over, clinging to the arm of his folding lounge chair. His arm caught on his earbuds, yanking them out painfully. He tried to yank the thing off his face, legs flailing uselessly. 

“You should be careful,” Reborn’s voice echoed from around him. “That’s Leon you’re holding.” Parker stoped moving and slowly let go of the thing on his face, crossing his eyes to see Reborn’s lizard stuck between his eyes. It blinked at him and settled down, closing its eyes. Reborn appeared, landing on Parker’s knee, dressed up like a potted cactus. 

Parker blinked, staring down at the child sized hitman. “I’ve only known you a week and I’m already used to this.”

Reborn snickered. “It’s hasn’t even been that long. It’s only been five and a half days.” Parker reclined back in his chair, reeling his earbuds back. Reborn stopped him by grabbing the wire and putting one by his ear. “Oh? What’s this?”

Parker paused as Leon crawled down his face and returned to Reborn, splaying out on the edge of his pot. “It’s a meditation exorcise. The teacher in my stress management class told us to listen to some. This series in particular sucks.”

Reborn listened to it for a moment, then hummed softly to himself. “Interesting. You listen to stuff like this regularly?”

Parker shrugged. “Not usually, but I have before. Why?”

Reborn tapped his chin, a smile on his face. “I’m thinking....” He hopped off Parker’s knee and wandered out of the room. “Be back later.”

Parker twisted in his chair, watching him leave, then settled back into his seat. He popped his earbuds back in and decided to start the track over again. _“I wonder what he’s thinking about. Hopefully it’s not too troublesome....”_ Parker closes his eyes, letting himself relax. 

“Breath in... Breath out... Allow your mind to become clear....”  
.  
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This time Reborn launched Leon at the back of Parker’s head, making him yelp and launch forwards out of his chair. Parker let out a loud groan only mostly muffled by the carpet his face was buried in. He looked up to see Reborn standing in front of him, a small cylindrical electronic in his hand. “Ciaossu,” Reborn said in a tone of voice that was practically dripping with smugness. 

Parker let out a puff of air as a greeting, feeling out the form of Leon stuck in his hair. “What do you want? I was in the middle of something. You do know those particular meditation audios are homework right?”

Reborn held out the cylinder in his hand. “Here.” Parker gingerly took it, rolling it over hi his hand. He rolled to sit with his legs crossed. “I had it express delivered from Italy.”

Parker looked skeptical. “Since yesterday?”

Reborn hummed, tapping his foot as he crossed his arms. “It would have come sooner but it took a while to script.”

Parker’s eyebrows shot up at that. Reborn made a mental note of that reaction. “Script? What is it?”

Reborn puffed up his chest. Leon leapt off of Parker’s head and landed on his hat. “It’s a special meditation for dying will flames.”

“You mentioned dying will bullets before. And something about the ‘will of the dying’... are all three related?”

“They’re mostly the same thing. A dying will bullet gives you the will of the dying that exhibits itself as a dying will flame. But the dying will bullet has a risk. If you don’t have any regrets, it’ll just kill you. Probably.”

Parker hummed, reexamining the cylinder in his hand. He purposefully ignored the last part, but made a mental note of it. “What’s this then?”

“Something that might help you use dying will flames without the dying will bullet.” Reborn cocked his hat back, looking proud of himself. It used to be that learning how to produce a flame by yourself was something you’d learn later, but now it’s basically a beginner’s requirement.”

“So a compounding of knowledge kind of thing?” Parker said, mostly to himself. 

“How do you mean?” Reborn asked, tilting his head. He smiled, wondering how much his Vongola intuition was telling him. 

“Like... if something becomes common knowledge then everyone tries to find something better. Like computers. They just keep getting better and faster and such, so my collage requires at least one computer programming course. Because computers keep evolving faster and faster. Or like an arms race during war time. It’s like a snowball effect. Once it starts it’s hard to stop, so you either accelerate with it or play catch up.”

Reborn paused, then nodded. _“Ah. Not Vongola intuition then. But still, he is very bright.”_ Reborn smiled. “That device you have has several newly scripted meditation exorcises that should help you learn to summon your dying will flame.”

Parker watched Reborn’s expressions, feeling more and more like he was messing with him. “So you want me to listen to these and summon my will to live as fire.”

“Pretty much,” Reborn smiled. 

Parker’s mouth twisted into an exaggerated frown. “Fine. But only after I finish these for my class.”

Reborn nodded. “We’ll also be starting more physical training so your body can handle it.”

Parker raised an eyebrow. “Physical training? You mean besides you whapping me with ruler Leon?” Reborn snickered, holding out his hand. Leon jumped into it, shifting into a green ruler. Parker just had time to think _“Fuck”_ before the ruler’s edge slammed into the soft part of his knee. Parker folded in on himself, clinging to his knee as a high pitched whine emanated from him. He sounded like a leaky balloon. Reborn smacked the back of his head as well, albeit not very hard. Parker whimpered. 

Reborn tilted his head, making a mental note about that reaction. “I’m going to take a nap. Let me know what you think of the tapes.” He turned around and walked off to the little bed Parker’s mom had made for him. 

Parked let out a hum of affirmation, slowly rolling to his feet. Reborn heard him murmur a soft “Ow....” before he climbed back into his chair, curling up. He didn’t go back to his meditation homework. He was tapping at his phone screen instead. Reborn made a mental note to spy on him later. But for the time being... it was nap time.   
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Parker woke up with blood in his mouth and fear on his mind. He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, ignoring the protests and pain of his muscles. He’d fallen asleep in his folding lazy chair, one of the support rods had left an impression in his back that stretched when he moved. He staggered to his feet, ignoring the aching. He glanced at Reborn, who was still sleeping and snoring softly. Parker let out a soft sigh and gingerly walked out of his room and towards the bathroom. 

The dream had been especially bad this time. The thing that had chased him through the endless field of grass that cut his feet like knives had caught him this time. It had dug its claws into him and torn his chest open and...

Parker slammed his arms against the sink, dropping his head into the basin as he turned the water on. The endless stream of cold water washed the sweat off his head, taking the general feeling of panic and fear with it down the drain. After a long moment, that could have been one minute or six, he pulled his head out from under the water, tilting his head back to feel the water run down his back and soak the collar of his shirt. He hadn’t actually gone to bed last night. _“Oops....”_

“It was bad huh?” Reborn’s voice came from behind him. 

Parker whipped around, jumping backwards as a reflex. Doing so, he banged his wrist against the edge of the sink. He clutched his hand to his chest. “Owww....”

Reborn stepped closer, patting Parker’s leg. “How long have you had bad dreams?”

Parker shook his head. “No idea. It doesn’t matter anyways. They’re just dreams.”

Reborn made a face like he was thinking, furrowing his brow. Parker thought that he looked far too adult with that expression. Reborn looked up at Parker. “Did you ever have a traumatic experience as a child?”

Parker shrugged. “Not that I can remember. Unless you call my dad dying when I was three.” Reborn tilted his head, but stayed quiet. Parker looked away, stepping around Reborn to go back to his room. “I’m going back to bed.”

Reborn watched him leave, thinking hard. _“Who told him his dad was dead? And why does he have such bad nightmares so often? And his mannerisms are so dower....”_ Reborn let a small smile cross his face. “I’ll make an interesting Vongola out of you yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha! Things are starting to get more plot involved. Let me know what you guys think and what you think is gonna happen later! I love to hear from people. :3 <3


	4. Exercise and Burns

Reborn made him start running after class. Parker was spiteful. He had a bitter taste in his mouth after his last class ended each day. He used to look forward to the end of the day, but now he dreaded it. Reborn always made him run an unspecified distance, seemingly deciding at random when it was time to go back home. Parker had tried to resist the second day, but Reborn had pointed gun Leon at him and said “Can you resist with your dying will?” Parker really didn’t want to find out. 

Asher was nice enough to join them on their run, chattering away happily about one topic or another as Parker gasped and wheezed from the stitches in his sides. Reborn let them stop in a park, so Parker immediately collapsed on a bench, sprawled out as he tried to cool down. 

Asher sat down beside him. He put one foot on the bench seat and laid his chin on his knee. “So Capo, what’s going on in your classes?”

Parker blinked, his eyes sliding sideways to look at Asher. “W-what...?”

“Your classes... how are they?”

“No, the other thing.” Parker waved his hand, which turned into more of a flail than a wave. “What’d you say, Kapa?”

Asher’s eyes went wide. “O-oh...! Oops. It just slipped out....”

“What’d you say Asher....” Parker said in a voice that was not mentally stable enough to play keep up. 

Asher fidgeted, looking anywhere but towards Parker and Reborn. Parker looked up at Reborn, who let out a soft chuckle. “It means ‘Boss’. He called you Boss.” Asher let out a high pitched squeal, barely stopping himself from clapping his hand over Reborn’s mouth. That would have ended very painfully. 

Parker blinked, looking at Reborn, who was perched on the back of the bench next to him, then to Asher, who was looking embarrassed beyond capacity. “That’s it? I thought you called me something actually embarrassing like ‘darling’ or whatever.” 

Asher blinked and raised his head. “No... just Capo....”

“That’s fine.” Parker waved his hand, thankfully looking like more of a wave than a flop. “But I’m not your boss. You’re my friend, wether or not I’m yours.”

“You’re my... friend...?” Asher said smally, leaning closer to Parker. 

“That’s up to you. But I consider you my friend.... It only takes a few days to know if you like being around someone or not. And I like being around you. Except when we’re running, what are you a machine?!” Parker lurched upright, but overbalanced, bending over so his torso was wedged between his knees. “I swear you’re not even sweaty are you?”

Asher snorted behind his fist and snickered softly. “Master Reborn made me run much longer when I started training.”

Parker raised his head, a look of horror on his face. “How far did he make you run...?”

Asher laughed, scratching the back of his head. “I don’t remember. I always passed out part way through and woke up at home.”

Reborn let out a soft laugh. “Asher’s body is more durable. Your body is... not.”

“You can say fat,” Parker sighed. “Or lazy, sluggish, sedentary, not athletic, heavy, whatever.” He flopped backwards, closing his eyes against the bright sky. A flat stick shape slapped across the bridge of his nose. “Ow!”

Reborn let go of ruler Leon, letting him shift back to Lizard form. “You’re not any of those things. Your body is just differently shaped than Asher’s.”

Asher nodded. “He’s right Capo. I’m actually really skinny for my family. Most of my family looks similar to your body type.”

Parker let out a puff of air, slowly rising to his feet. “Alright. I think I’ve caught my breath enough.” He stretched and looked back at Reborn. “Which way now?”

Reborn paused for a moment, then leapt onto Parker’s backpack. “Right.” Asher popped to his feet, ready to go. “And Parker,” Reborn said, looking down at him. “Don’t think you’ve avoided this topic for long.”

Parker forced a smile, fighting the lump rising in his throat. “Sure...,” he said in a small voice. Asher had already started jogging in place, so Parker started to run. He made a mental note to put less books in his backpack, or at least put a blanket between him and them.  
.  
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“Breath in... Breath out... Let your thoughts become still.... Let your mind quiet.... Breath in... Breath out....” 

The meditation track that Reborn had given him was making Parker a little off-set. He wasn’t sure what it was, but the track itself was making his insides feel almost uncomfortably warm. He really hadn’t thought much of the track set when Reborn had given to him, but now, as he sat in his foldable lazy chair, Parker was starting to actually believe what he’d said about the flames and all that. 

Reborn sat a few feet away, doing something with Leon. At least, that’s where he’d been when Parker had closed his eyes. He sort of felt him, he felt something radiating heat towards him, on his left. That was either Reborn... or a ghost. 

“Imagine a flame, a bright flame that is growing and burning inside you.... This flame has always been with you... It is your life, your will, your power....”

Parker squirmed slightly as he physically felt something flicker inside his chest. It felt like cold tendrils were curling against his rib cage and down into his gut. The hairs on his arms stood up. 

“Concentrate on the feeling of this flame.... It is an extension of your self... Allow it to move as if it was another limb.... Let it flex and relax... Let it swirl around inside you, obeying your intentions.... Now, let your flame rise, up and up, let it rise to your forehead.”

Parker felt himself bite his lip, a shudder running down his back as his face got uncomfortably hot as his chest got frighteningly cold. He opened his mouth, trying to say something to Reborn. He felt pinpricks in his eyes as his mouth opened and closed wordlessly. Something inside him was scared, paralyzed. He felt like he couldn’t breath.

“Concentrate... Focus on a single point on your forehead.... Now... Let the flames bloom.”

Parker’s eyes snapped open, but all he saw was darkness. Everything was wrong, wrong, wrong! His face was hot and cold and wet and burning. He couldn’t breath, couldn’t feel anything except the numb pins and needles that festered on his fingers and feet. The sensations could have lasted one minute or a million. But they stoped... eventually... as Parker passed out.  
.  
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Reborn looked at his student, lying on his back with his arms thrown over his face as he tried (and failed) to hide the tears that streamed from his eyes. “I thought I was gonna die.... I couldn’t see anything... or feel anything.... It just hurt.... I think I did die... for a moment....” His voice was shaky and raw. 

Reborn examined the player that held the meditation track, making a note to listen to it himself later... and possibly have some words with the team who made it. “It shouldn’t have done that. Dying will flames are....” He paused, looking down as he thought about what to say. “Your dying will flames are a part of you, your will given form. They shouldn’t have... done that....”

Parker took a shaky breath, slowly sitting up. His eyes were bright red, framed by tear tracts that glistened in the half light. The icy blue of his eyes had a distinct shine of fear and hurt behind them. Something was broken. His hair was a mess, sticking out in every direction and plastered to his face around his eyes. At some point he’d bitten through his lip, leaving a bloody cut. “Well....” His voice cracked. “They did.” He curled forward and held his hair out of the way, finally allowing Reborn to see the flame shaped scar on his forehead. It was small, smaller than his eye, but it was badly burned. 

Reborn felt a deep frown etch itself into his face. He stepped forward. “We should ice it.”

Parker stood up abruptly. “I’m going to ice it.” His voice cracked again as he stepped forward, stepping over Reborn. Reborn let him leave, not even watching him go. This particular tutoring job was going to be harder than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! Thanks for reading! I hope y’all are enjoying and I’d love to hear what you think of it. 
> 
> I’m going back to work on some of my other fics next, so it’ll probably be a later update next chapter, but I haven’t given up on this. Promise!


	5. A chance meeting and a scheduled meeting

Parker didn’t wait for Reborn that next morning. He left the child sized hitman asleep in his bed as he left, as silently as he could. Parker had put a bandage on his forehead to cover the still painfully hot scar. Today he actually styled his hair to hide his face, instead of just letting it fall wherever. He wasn’t mad at Reborn, but the meditation yesterday had shaken him. He didn’t think it’d actually work, let alone hurt him. He mulled it over as he walked, not really paying attention to where he was going. Then, predictably, he walked into someone. 

“Oh shoot, you okay?” A high pitched scratchy voice asked. A hand slapped at his face quickly, firm but not painful. “Hey! Hey!”

Parker groaned and cracked an eye open. “Sorry... I wasn’t looking where I was going....” The hand lurched backwards, thankfully. 

“Oh don’t bother about that! I wasn’t either.” Parker squinted past the bright sun light and saw someone with beautiful ebony skin and dreadlocks. They had a messy bun and bangs as well though. Parker blinked and held a hand up to shield the sunlight. “Oh! Up we go!” The person above him grabbed his hand, yanking him upwards. Parker stumbled a little but the person, next to him now, held his hand tightly until he was standing upright. 

Parker let out a small sigh of relief and turned to look at the other person. They were well built, with thick shoulders and a barrel shaped chest, standing several inches taller than Parker. They wore a canary yellow blouse with a black skirt that reached two-thirds down their thighs. They had on yellow tennis shoes that looked well worn. 

“Thanks... um...?” Parker mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. 

“Cyrus,” the other said in a slightly high pitched voice. “And you are?”

“Ah... I’m Parker.” He tugged at the hair in front of his face nervously. Part of him wished Reborn was there. Part of him was glad he wasn’t. 

“What do you go by?” Cyrus asked. 

Parker blinked in confusion. “Par..ker...?”

“No no, not that,” Cyrus shook their head, sending their dreadlocks flying around their head. “I mean...” They papped their finger against their chin. “Gender wise...? I forgot the word.... Like she or he or they or something...?”

Parker tilted his head. “Pronoun...?”

Cyrus’s eyes lit up as they clapped their hands. “Yes that! What do you like?”

“Um....” Parker thought for a moment, shifting his weight onto his other foot. “Male ones... I guess.... Nobody’s ever... asked me that before.” He laughed softly, dragging his fingers through his hair. “Which... what do you use?” 

Cyrus puffed their chest up. “I use female ones. She/her. Okay?” She winked. 

Parker nodded. “Okay... nice to meet you miss Cyrus....”

Cyrus beamed, shining as bright as the sun. Parker forced himself not to squint. “Nice to meet you too Mr. Parker! Oh yeah! I’ve seen you around lately. You run through the park sometimes right?”

Parker nodded. “Yeah, lately. Do you as well?” 

Cyrus smiled and nodded. “Yeah. It’s part of my routine lately. I used to take a different route, but the park is so pretty in the fall....” She got a far away look in her eyes, a soft smile on her face. “Oh. You’re usually with people right? Are you part of a club or something?”

Parker laughed softly, shuffling his feet. He tugged at his hair a little. “Not really, we just started hanging out.... The running was Reborn’s idea... and I’m a little nervous to say no to him.”

“Nervous? He’s your friend right though? Plus he’s skinny, you could totally take him!”

Parker paused for a long moment, very confused. “Oh! No, that’s Asher. Reborn is... a lifestyle coach.... He’s... my uncle sent him....” Parker hesitated. He was telling this person a whole lot about his life so soon after meeting her. He glanced up at Cyrus’s puzzled expression. “What about you? Why are you running?”

Cyrus immediately perked up. “Endurance training! I’m in track and field!”

“Oh! How cool...!” Parker gave a small gasp of interest. 

Cyrus beamed and started rambling about how much she loved the “just for fun and health” track club, almost too fast for Parker to follow. Then she paused. “Oh yeah! Do you think we have any classes together?”

Parker started to shrug, then froze as his eyes went wide. “Class...!” He whipped out his phone, checking the time. “I gotta go!” He turned on his heal, sprinting down the walkway. “Good bye...!” He called back at Cyrus, waving frantically. Cyrus raised her hand in a motion that was a mix between a wave and a fist pump. 

Parker managed to make it to his seat barely half a minute before the professor started class. He breathed a sigh of relief as he slumped in his seat, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.   
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“You’re mad at me,” Reborn said when Parker got back to his room after his classes and lunch. He sat on Parker’s bed with his legs crossed, Leon sitting on his knee. 

Parker glanced down at him, moving to put his backpack down. “No,” he responded, looking away. 

“That wasn’t a question.”

“Question or not, the answer is still no.” He pulled his notebook out of his backpack, setting it down as he rummaged around for his favorite mechanical pencil. 

“Why didn’t you wake me for classes then?” Reborn didn’t let any emotion into his voice, but Parker still felt the fingers of tension press against the back of his neck. He ignored it and pulled out his pencil, grabbing his notebook and standing. 

“Sometimes...,” he started, “I just need some time alone. I don’t like people. I don’t like crowds of strangers. There’s too many bodies and too much... to keep track of at once....” He furrowed his eyebrows, rubbing his thumb against the eraser of his pencil. “So sometimes, I like being alone.” 

Reborn tilted his head, but stayed silent for a long moment. “Did you enjoy your alone time then?”

Parker’s eyebrows shot up of their own accord. “Actually.... I didn’t get so much alone time. I met this really nice girl and was almost late ‘cause I got distracted with talking to her.”

Reborn made a small noise in his throat. “Oh? I think this is the first time I’ve heard you talk about a girl who wasn’t your mom.” 

Parker thought for a moment. “I guess that’s right. I don’t usually talk to people....” He shrugged. “Why’s that a big deal?” He turned to look at Reborn, but he was gone. “Ninja....” Parker hissed quietly to himself, glancing around nervously. He backed slowly out of his room, eyes narrowed. He mumbled to himself, “He’s either a ninja or a ghost.... Honestly I’m not sure which is worse.“  
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Asher was laying the wrong way on Parker’s bed, his legs swinging over the side. He stared blankly at the ceiling as he waited for Parker to finish his homework at the desk next to his bed. They were so close, Asher could reach out and touch Parker. But he didn’t. The tireless clicking of his laptop keys created a sort of melody that made Asher want to just relax and drift off. 

Parker’s voice broke the silence. “Don’t you have homework too Ash?” Parker asked, only partially focused on the paper he was typing. 

“Hm? No. I don’t go to school.”

Parker stopped typing. “Then what do you do all day?” He twisted in his seat at his desk, looking troubled and mildly horrified. 

Asher shrugged, fiddling with a tiny gadget in his hands. “Just hang out. There’s surprisingly a lot to do.”

“But you don’t go to school...? Why not? It’s pretty fun.”

“Fun?” Asher quirked up an eyebrow. “Since when?”

“Since it’s not a government funded brainwashing factory for the next generation of mindless followers.”

Asher sat up, staring at Parker in disbelief. “Uh what?”

“....You get to take classes that interest you and actually apply to what you want to do with your life, instead of another, dumber math class. I’m a philosophy major. I don’t need to know how to calculate the acceleration of a cone on a frictionless incline...!” Parker dropped his head onto his arms, letting out a small, strangled groan. 

Asher crossed his legs and leaned forward, patting Parker’s head. “That’s physics and I’m pretty sure that’s a science.” Parker didn’t respond aside from a louder, even more strangled groan. Asher hummed thoughtfully, tilting his head to the side. “Maybe I will take some classes.... My father wanted me to do something smart like.” He grinned as Parker looked up. “Any ideas?”

Parker shrugged, dropping his head again. “Donno. I’d ask an advisor. Though they’re gonna want you to get an actual degree, since that’s what’s important.”

Asher hummed as he threaded his fingers through Parker’s hair absentmindedly. “Maybe something technical then....”

“Technical?” Parker raised his head, but didn’t protest to the hand in his hair. 

Asher nodded, glancing at him, then froze. “What happened to...?”

Parker’s eyes went wide as he lurched back, holding the hair down in front of his face. His head tilted downward as he bit the inside of his lip. “Nothing....”

“That is obviously not nothing.” Asher leaned closer, gently putting his hand over Parker’s. He couldn’t believe he was hurt, badly too it seemed like. That wasn’t just some bump or scrape, it was in such a strange place. Parker let him move his hand, so Asher moved closer, gently pressing his fingers over the square bandaid. “Can I take it off...?” _“Should I...?”_

Parker nodded slightly, his eyes cast downward and nearly shut. Asher gently eased the bandaid off, letting the adhesive loosen instead of just ripping it off. The skin on Parker’s forehead was scarred a darker color. It was barely an inch on either side, shaped like a small fire. It looked like frostbite, or a very very bad burn. “What happened...,” Asher breathed. 

Parker didn’t look up at him. “It’s nothing....”

“Did someone hurt you?!” Asher shouted, suddenly furious. He gritted his teeth, fingers fluttering towards the pocket he kept his weapon in. His heart beat roared in his ears like a tidal wave. His vision darkened and went red. He would spill the blood of whoever....

“Asher!” Parker’s hand landed on his arm, only then did Asher realize he was standing up. He unclenched his hands, feeling the sting of the indentations his nails had left. He tasted his own blood in his mouth. “It’s okay....” Parker gently guided Asher back to sit down on his bed. “It was... something Reborn had me try.... A meditation to manifest dying will flames... or something.... It’s not a big deal. And it barely hurts anymore...!”

Asher blinked slowly, taking all that in. _“Master Reborn had him try to summon deathperation flames so soon? Is is because he thought Capo could... or is it because he’s the next Vongola Capo...?”_ Asher bowed his head, feeling tired. “I’m sorry...,” he murmured. 

Parker blinked. “Pardon?” He tilted his head. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about Ash.”

Asher raised his head, a weary smile on his lips. “I’m just sorry there’s nothing I can do....”

“You could always teach him how to use dying will flames,” Reborn’s voice sounded. The two of them looked up to see something spiky hanging from the ceiling. Reborn’s head peered over the top of it. 

“Why are you on my ceiling?” Parker asked in a voice that was just tired acceptance. “Again....”

Asher felt a grin split his face. “That’s a great idea Master Reborn!” He shot to his feet, digging around in his pockets. “We’d need a sky attribute ring... and probably something to channel the flames into....” Before he could go any further, Reborn dropped onto his head, the pointy suit suddenly no where to be seen. 

“Not so fast. Rings come later. Right now Parker needs to build up enough stamina to even summon a flame. So...” Reborn smirked. “Go outside and run until you drop.”

Parker stared at Reborn with horror and pain etched into his face. “Please... no.... I...! I have my paper to finish...!” 

“Finish it later. Running will get blood flowing to your brain.” Reborn summersaulted off Asher’s head, strutting towards the door. “I’m getting some coffee. I’ll join you later.”

The two of them watched Reborn leave, then Asher gripped one of Parker’s hands on both of his. “Let’s go Capo! It’ll be fun. We don’t have to run very much, we can walk most of the way alright?”

Parker nodded slightly. When Asher pulled him to his feet, he kept his head down. “I’m gonna run to the bathroom first though... okay? I’ll just be a minute.” He smiled at Asher and Asher felt his heart rising. He nodded and let go of Parker’s hand, moving out of his way. 

 

Parker leaned against the sink, staring at his reflection. The sink was still running from washing his hands, giving him white noise to block out the sounds in his mind. He locked eyes with his reflection, taking several deep breaths as he forced himself to calm down. “It’s okay.... It’s okay....” 

“Is it?” Reborn’s voice echoed around him. Parker whipped around, banging his wrist on the sink again. 

“Gah! Mother fa-!” Parker doubled over, clutching his hand to his stomach. He looked up to see Reborn sitting on the toilet’s water tank. “Reborn...? Wha-... were you in here the whole time?!”

Reborn ignored him, staring at Parker with a look that seemed to pierce though him. “So... it’s not just the Vongola instincts then....”

“What do you mean...?” Parker forced himself to straighten up, turning towards the medicine cabinet, pulling out a new bandaid. 

“Your anxiety.”

Parker glanced back at him. “Yeah? What about it? I have anxiety. Big deal. So did half my graduating class.”

“I thought it was just your Vongola instincts waiting for an attack. And since you never sensed any danger, they just kept getting more and more sensitive.”

Parker hummed, sticking the new bandage over the flame shaped scar. He shrugged slightly, fixing his hair. “It doesn’t really matter how I got it. It’s just something I have.” Parker turned the sink off and turned back to Reborn. “We’ll be leaving then.” He gave a short wave as he left. 

Reborn closed his eyes, mulling over his thoughts. He hadn’t thought about mental illnesses when he’d started planning Parker’s training regimen. He didn’t think Tsuna... Decimo, knew, or thought, about that either. He tapped his finger against his chin, considering his next move. Maybe... Parker dying once could.... No. That was too risky. Despite his seeming recklessness with his students in the past, Reborn always tried to keep conflict and such at levels they could handle. 

Reborn stood up, his mind decided. He hopped off the water tank and strutted out the room. He heard the distant sound of a door shutting, signaling that Parker and Asher had left. Reborn made his way to Parker’s room, coaxing Leon into his hand. He sat down at the foot of Parker’s bed. Leon transformed into a phone. Reborn dialed a number into it, hearing a tired “hello?” on the other end. 

“Ciaossu. I need some counsel. How soon can you be here?”

“Next week at the earliest. I’m in the middle of something right now.”

Reborn smiled, a soft chuckle rising in his throat. “See you then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. I lied. I actually did this chapter next, not the one for the other story. =3= oops. Not very sorry tho. 
> 
> I think this chapter is longer than the others, but I don’t really know, since my phone doesn’t count words. 
> 
> Anyways, tell me what you think! I love to hear from readers!


	6. Meet the Sun (the Peppy, Clever Sun)

The following day, as Parker sat in his ‘Philosophy of the Mind’ class, the professor assigned partners for a project. Parker sighed softly, glancing towards the man that was supposed to be his partner. 

He looked pretty cool. He had an undercut that fell off to one side and a white dress shirt that was almost strangely clean. He had a few decorative chains that hung from his belt and pants pockets. Parker was pretty sure that he’d seen him wearing an earring in one ear. A black jacket was draped over the back of his chair. Parker didn’t think he’d ever seen him wear it normally, he just draped it over his shoulders like a cape. The man blinked, turning his head to glare at Parker. Parker gave a little wave and gestured ‘talk after class?’ at him. The man huffed and turned away, lookin back at the teacher. 

After class, as Parker was packing up his notes, the man approached him, standing over him with his jacket ‘casually’ swung over one shoulder. “Are you my partner?” He asked, the little bit of an accent almost covered by the spite in his voice. 

Parker nodded. “Yeah. I’m Parker Everheart.” He smiled up at him, then stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He was a little glad Reborn hadn’t joined him today. “Got time to talk?” He nodded, the cold glare in his eyes a little less piercing. He tilted his head ever so slightly, barely noticeable. Parker furrowed his eyebrows, thinking. “Your name is ‘Kyoya Hibari’ right?” He got a small nod in return. 

Kyoya Hibari turned and started walking out of the classroom. Parker followed, close enough to talk, but not breathing down his neck. “Are you Japanese?” Another small nod, this time accompanied by a glance over his shoulder. “So your last name is Hibari right? Do you want me to refer to you as Hibari? Or should I add an honorific... I think that’s what they’re called....” Kyoya Hibari stopped walking, nearly leading to Parker walking into him. Hibari’s eyes were calculating as they examined Parker’s face for any sign that he was mocking him. Parker blinked and tilted his head, suppressing the rise of anxiety in his stomach. He got the same feeling as he did the first time he saw Reborn. This was someone dangerous, examining him, judging him, considering him. Parker felt the knot of anxiety rise into his chest, nearing his heart. 

Then Kyoya Hibari looked away, down the hall, like he was expecting something. “You may call me Kyoya.” He said in a voice that wasn’t shy, but was very quiet. 

Parker blinked, the anxiety sliding back down into his stomach. “Oh. Okay! Uh, you can call me Parker.” He grinned. “So, do you wanna exchange numbers to set up a meeting an stuff?”

Kyoya nodded, extending his hand expectantly. Parker pulled up a new contact page and handed it to Kyoya. He typed in his number and handed the phone back. “Tell me who you are when you text.” Parker nodded as Kyoya turned and stalked down the hall. The other students parted like he was a hungry shark in a school of fish. Parker finished up Kyoya’s contact profile, adding a picture of a cool looking doodle he’d done as a profile picture. He smiled and tucked his phone away, hurrying off in the other direction for his next class.  
.  
.  
.  
Reborn and Asher were waiting for Parker after his last class. He smiled slightly and waved. “Hey.” Asher was grinning widely, a mischievous look on his face. “...what...?” 

Asher hummed, tilting his head. “What what?”

“What are you grinning about?” Parker laughed a little, gesturing for Asher to fall in step with him. He did, walking just a little behind him. “Something good happen?”

Asher nodded, giggling to himself. “I signed up for classes.”

“Really?” Parker beamed. “That’s great Ash! What are you taking?”

Asher listed off six classes with complicated and technical sounding names. “So, basically I’m majoring in Computer Science and Engineering.”

Parker’s eyes went wide as he stared at him. “Seriously...? And you already picked a major?” 

Asher nodded. “Turns our I actually took some collage classes back in Italy. I had no idea.” He glanced towards Reborn, who had positioned himself on Parker’s backpack. “So, I’ll be starting those at your midterms. About half of them are online, so I can get those done in my down time, when I’m not with you and Master Reborn.”

Parker nodded slightly. “Alright. But don’t overwork yourself....”

Asher nodded, but waved it off. “Anyway, how were your classes Capo?” 

Parker hummed, smiling. “Pretty good. My ‘of the mind’ class started a project today and I got paired with this really cool guy.” He grinned. 

Reborn hummed, thoughtfully. “What’s his name?”

Parker looked back at him. “Oh. Kyoya. He’s got this cool semi-punk style that I’m super jealous of.” He laughed softly. “He totally pulls it off to, it’s really cool.”

Asher’s eyebrows furrowed, looking deep in thought. “Is-“ He started. 

Reborn shut him up by jumping onto his head. Putting on his best ‘little bro who tagged along’ voice he said, “Parker! I’m hungry. Can we get food now?”

Parker grinned and nodded. “Sure. I think the restaurant has nachos today. You two up for some of that?”

Reborn smiled and nodded, while Asher’s nod was somewhat distracted. Parker didn’t mention the worried look on Asher’s face as he slipped his arm through Asher’s. “Come on then. Or else the line’ll get too long.” He grinned widely, hoping to lighten Asher’s mood. It apparently worked, as Asher grinned back at him. Parker pulled him down the hallway, towards the restaurant, vaguely worried about what Asher was thinking about.  
.  
.  
.  
After about half an hour of running, Parker was feeling surprisingly good. He didn’t feel like he was on fire, at least not as much. He jogged next to Asher as he angled their path to lead to a bench. Parker grinned as Ash turned on his heal and plopped down on he bench, his arms thrown over the back of the bench. Parker laughed to himself, sitting down next to him. He sighed and stretched his legs out. “I think my leg muscles are getting bigger....”

“That’s good Capo!” Asher grinned, pulling one foot up to rest on the bench seat. “Do you wanna start trying some arm exorcises?”

“I’ll die.” He said with a completely serious tone. 

“Uh... Capo I don’t think you’ll die... from arm exorcises....” He tilted his head. 

Parker opened his mouth to insist that yes, he would die, but he was cut short by a loud voice yelling, “Heeeeeeyyyy! Guy I met!” Parker turned and saw the person he’d met the other day running towards him. She was waving enthusiastically, wearing track sweats instead of a skirt today. “Hey hey hey!” She ran up to them, running into the side of the bench, bracing herself with her arms. 

Parker smiled up at her. “Oh, hey again.” He glanced towards Ash, who was scowling. Parker nudged him, furrowing his eyebrows. “So, this grumpy Gus is Asher. Your name is...” He thought for a long moment. “It starts with a C...?”

She nodded, smiling happily. “And yours starts with a P.”

Parker figured he wasn’t going to get any hints from her. “C... C....”

Her eyes widened. “Oooh! I like that. Call me CC!” 

Parker blinked. “Really?” 

She nodded. “I can call you PP.”

“Please don’t.”

CC snorted, giggling into her hand. “How about PK?”

Parker raised his eyebrows. “You do remember my name.... Sure that’s fine.” He grinned, glancing back at Asher. “Ash, this it the nice lady I told you and Reborn about.”

Asher glowered at her a little more. “I see that.”

“Ash...? You okay?”

He mumbled something, looking away. “I’m going to go find a water fountain....”

CC perked up. “There’s one over by the playground.” She pointed back the way she’d come. 

“I can find one myself, thanks.” Asher grumbled, wandering off in the other direction. 

Parker stared at him in shock as he skulked down the pathway. “I’m sorry CC. He’s not usually... rude... like at all....” He turned back to see CC very close to his face, a wide smile on her lips. “...what...?”

“He thinks we’re flirting. How cute.”

“He... what? No....” Parker glanced back towards Asher’s retreating back. “Why’d he get cranky about that?”

“Because,” Reborn’s voice echoed from around him. Parker leapt off the bench, looking around for the tiny hitman. A very large squirrel dropped onto the bench. When it looked up it was Reborn’s face. Leon was sitting on his head as usual, which should have tipped Parker off earlier. “Asher is very attached to you. And he doesn’t want to have to share your time.”

Parker sighed, glancing towards CC, who looked absolutely enthralled with Reborn’s suit. “But... we’ve literally only known each other a couple weeks.... And you make it sound like he’s a jealous boyfriend....”

“Isn’t he?” Reborn smiled, tilting his head. “More or less.”

Parker felt the blood drain from his face, then rise back to it just as quickly as his face heated up. “No...! Wha- why would you say that Reborn...?”

Reborn smiled, a malicious aura emanating off of him. He looked at CC and muttered, not softly at all. “You think, you think?”

She nodded. “Indeed indeed.” Parker looked between the two of them. CC grinned, tilting her head. “Mayhaps... a crush is mutual...?”

Parker felt the blood drain out of his face, for real this time. “A-are you two trying to set us up...?!”

Reborn hummed, jumping to land on CC’s shoulder. “Who knows.”

Parker felt the tension rising in his shoulders as he curled in on himself. “You do...” he grumbled, mostly to himself. He turned around. “I’m gonna find Asher.” He walked off, fighting the painful grinding in his chest. He bit his lip as his eyes stung. He shook his head to clear the thoughts rising. 

 

CC watched Parker’s back as he got further and further away. “Well... we screwed that up... big time. You sure about this kiddo?”

Reborn hummed, a deep frown on his face. “Donno.”

“You might need some help with this whole ‘lifestyle training’ thing.”

Reborn nodded. “That’s why I called in a console. He should be here after Friday.”

CC hummed softly. “Just so you know, I really like PK. If you hurt him, scar him, whatever, I won’t forgive you.”

Reborn hummed thoughtfully, turning to look at her. “You like him?”

“Not like that.... I just met the guy.”

“How about you join our family?” Reborn smirked. 

CC raised her eyebrows, a smile forming on her face. “Family? That’s what you call your friend group? Sounds like the mafia.”

“So what if it is?”

CC’s eyebrows shot up even further. Then she laughed, leaning against the bench. “Sure! I’ll join your mafia family lil guy.”

Reborn smirked. “It’s not my family. It’s Parker’s.”

CC hummed softly. “Sure thing. Sounds like a fun game. Like D&D in real life!” She snickered and straightened up. “Shall we go after them?” Reborn nodded with a confidant smile. CC started jogging after them. “Hey, I got a buddy who needs more friends. Mind if he joins too?” Reborn nodded, making a mental note to check up on that friend later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CC is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. -w- <3 She’s so fun. 
> 
> This story is a lot of fun to write and is quickly becoming (it already is) one of my obsessions.  
> >3>
> 
> I hope you guys like it! If you let me know what you like specificity I can try to put more of that in later. ^^ <3


	7. Meet the Thunder (Bitter, Analytic Thunder)

Reborn found Parker curled up on the recessed window seat in his room. The curtains were pulled closed shut in front of the seat, creating a small enclosure. Reborn pulled the curtains back to say something to Parker, but he forgot what he was going to say when he saw that Asher was curled up next to him with his head laying on Parker’s shoulder. Parker glanced up from his book and patted the cushion next to him in a silent invitation. Reborn shook his head and let the curtain fall shut. He’d tell him later.   
.  
.  
.  
CC brought her friend to the park two days later. They were waiting for Parker and Asher on the bench they’d dubbed ‘the halfway bench’. Reborn always designed their running track to cross that bench at the halfway point. Parker was glad to at least have some sort of measurement. 

CC jumped up when she saw them, waving enthusiastically. She pulled her friend to his feet, nearly making him fall over. He straightened himself and glowered bitterly at CC. 

He looked like a punk, more in demeanor than style, like Kyoya. He had a light colored tank top with a dark colored vest over it and olive colored skin underneath both of those. Several chain necklaces hung from his neck, their pendants clinking against each other when he moved. The chains looked pretty tangled together too. He had on skinny jeans, like Asher. But his hair was a mess, like he’d stuck a fork in an electrical socket. His nose was crooked, like he’d run full sprint into a wall one to many times. When he opened his mouth to talk, Parker saw that one of his front teeth was chipped. “And, why... are we associating with these people?” He had a bit of a lisp as well. 

“Cuz they’re great!” CC beamed. She slapped him on the back so hard he stumbled. 

Parker waved slightly, blushing slightly from the compliment, as well as the anxiety. “Hi... I’m Parker and this is Asher.” 

Asher scowled, but waved and forced a grin. “Hi....”

CC’s friend raised his eyebrows at Asher, but didn’t say anything until CC elbowed him. “Hi.” He turned away, looking uncomfortable, which made Parker uncomfortable. 

CC rolled her eyes. “This is Keme. He’s just grumpy cuz his robotics club got canceled.”

Asher perked up like a dog who just heard someone has squeak his favorite toy. “Robotics?”

Keme glowered, looking up at Asher defiantly. “Yeah, so what?”

“You like robotics...?” Asher was practically beaming. Parker briefly wondered if he had mood swings. 

“If I didn’t I wouldn’t be in a robotics club would I?” Keme snarked, stepping out from behind CC. He was glaring now, looking ready to deck Asher. 

“I love robotics!” Asher pumped his fists, grinning like a madman. “I’m taking engendering classes in a month and I’m so excited!”

Keme’s glare slowly melted off his face as he tilted his head, looking intrigued. “Really?” He blinked a few times, eyebrows rising. “Who’s class are you in?”

Asher blinked, looking confused. “Uhh... it’s online...?”

Keme sighed. “Ah. Well. That would explain how you could start a class a quarter into the year.” He shook his head, intrigue still glittering in his eyes. “How interesting....” Then he froze, looking past Asher. Parker followed his gaze, seeing Reborn, who’d suddenly appeared again, standing a few feet away. 

“Ciaossu,” Reborn chirped. He trotted to the center of the group, passing in between Asher and Parker. “Good to see you again, Keme.”

Keme scowled slightly, but said, “Same to you, Reborn.”

Parker felt his eyebrows shoot up as he looked between them. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but CC beat him to it. “You two know each other?” Her mouth was hanging open. 

Keme ruffled his hair in irritation. “Sort of.... He’s a... ‘friend’ of my family.” Parker noted the strange emphasis he put around the word friend, but he didn’t say anything. 

“Family...” Asher slowly examined Keme’s face. “What’s your Family’s name...?” He seemed cautious, like poking an explosive. Parker felt his anxiety rise little by little. It felt like something was eating away at the meat in his chest. 

Keme narrowed his eyes, looking between Reborn and Asher. Reborn gave a small nod. “I’m from a branch of the Bovino family. My last name is Abete.”

Asher blinked. “Bovino... you mean like the-“

“Yes. And no, there’s no relation between us,” Keme snapped, glaring at Asher. “I have nothing to do with him or his Family.”

Asher bristled. “You don’t-“

Reborn whistled, making the two of them look down at him. “Stop bickering.” He looked up at Keme. “You don’t have to, but I’d like to change that.”

Keme glared at Reborn. “I want nothing to do with that-“

“Not with the Decimo’s Thunder Guardian.” Reborn interrupted him, looking annoyed. “But if you’d like, I’ll extend an invitation to you to succeed him.”

“Succeed...? Is he dead then?” Keme asked with a blank look on his face. CC looked appalled. She swatted him on the back of the head. 

“Don’t be mean...!”

Keme covered his head and glared at her. “Don’t hit me....”

“Then don’t be mean!”

Reborn cleared his throat. “Ahem...!” 

CC blushed slightly. “Sorry....”

Keme raised his eyebrows at Reborn. “So? Is he dead?”

“No. The stupid cow is still alive and well. But it’s become time for a succession. Will you join the next Vongola’s Family?”

Parker opened his mouth to protest. _“Reborn wait...! I... I don’t want to....”_

Reborn shot a look over his shoulder that chilled Parker to his core. “We’re running out of time. We need to gather a larger Family as quickly as possible.”

Keme tilted his head slightly. He glanced at Asher, then towards CC. “Is Cyrus involved already?”

Reborn nodded. “It’s not to late for her to back out though. If you’d take her place.”

Keme laughed dryly. “Blackmail really doesn’t suit you, Reborn.... I don’t think I could stop her even if I wanted to.” He looked up at CC. “You’ve decided right? You’re going to join this group?”

CC nodded. “Yep! Sounds fun right?”

Keme sighed. “Not really no.” He ruffled his hair in irritation. “Fine!” He dropped his hand. Reborn smiled, the brim of his hat tilted downward to hide his eyes. “So... who’s the new Vongola...?” 

Reborn smiled and leapt high into the air, landing on Parker’s shoulder. “Right here.”

Keme’s eyes widened. “Jokes like that don’t really suit you either Reborn.”

The smile dropped off Reborn’s face. “I’m not joking. Parker is the next Vongola Boss.”

Keme looked like someone had slapped him in the face. “Seriously. I thought he was this guy’s lackey.” He jabbed his finger towards Asher. 

Asher growled slightly, setting Parker’s nerves on edge. “What was that punk...?” He glared at Keme with fire in his eyes. 

Keme glared right back at him, a cool indifference. “The Vongola are supposed to be intimidating. Right now, neither one of you are.” He didn’t take his eyes off of Asher, ignoring Parker completely. 

CC, gritting her teeth, grabbed Keme by the neck and pulled him to stare into her eyes. Keme’s eyes went wide, like he’d forgotten she was there. “Stop it. We’re trying to make friends and insulting people isn’t how you make friends.” She looked like she was gonna either punch Keme or drop him. 

Keme’s mouth flapped uselessly for a long moment. Then he blushed and looked away. “Sorry....”

“Tell them, not me.” CC let go of him, letting Keme right himself. He looked at the ground, gritting his teeth. 

Asher was still glowering, snarling. Parker looked between them. “It’s...” All of them looked at him, making his heart seize. “It’s okay.... I don’t really think I look intimidating or whatever either....” Reborn’s frown was very close to Parker’s eye, so he saw it in its entirety. He held up his hands. “L-l-let’s j-just start ag-gain.” He forced the words out, despite his mouth feeling like it was stuffed with cotton. He held out one hand. “Hi... I’m Park-er. This is A-Asher.” He grinned slightly, despite the hallow feeling that was spreading through his chest. 

Keme considered his hand for a moment, then begrudgingly took it. “Keme Abate.” He shook it firmly. Parker smiled, feeling his shoulders relax a slight amount. He looked towards Asher, who sighed and shook Keme’s hand as well. The two of them glared at each other for a long moment, then looked away. CC beamed and slapped Keme on the back, nearly sending him sprawling. 

Reborn snickered. “You weren’t wrong though, Keme.” Everyone looked at him now. “The Vongola are intimidating. But Parker’s training has just started this month. You should have seen the Decimo when he started. He was much more hopeless in the beginning.”

Keme raised both his eyebrows. “I highly doubt it. People don’t change that much.”

Reborn snickered. “Not on their own at least.” He hopped off Parker’s shoulder, landing gracefully on the ground. “Well, that makes three of six. Not bad for a month’s work.”

Parker blinked. “What... what are you talking about?” He said in a semi-quiet voice. He didn’t feel good enough to talk loudly. It felt like the thing in his chest had left, but he was still hallowed out. “Are collecting people or something?”

Reborn smirked and turned around. “That’s exactally What we’re doing.”

Parker’s face dropped, staring at him with a sort of fear that Reborn couldn’t quite place. But he smirked and watched as Asher distracted Parker from his anxiety by tugging on his arm and chattering about going back home so he could show Keme his designs. Reborn watched the four of them starting to jog back to Parker’s house. He tilted his head down so the brim of his hat hid his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm~ The plot thickens~! 
> 
> Like I said, slow burn. But I’m impatient.... >,> soooooo yup.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks so much for reading! Let me know if you liked it so far and what you think! Comments give me fuel! *^*


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